Woman Tumbles Overboard On Mississippi Ferry

KAMPVILLE, MO (KTVI) - The recovery effort is underway for a woman who somehow fell off of the Golden Eagle Ferry on Friday afternoon. Authorities say the St. Louis County woman is around 60 years old, has blonde hair and was wearing a pink shirt. She was last seen going into the water but never resurfaced. She tumbled off the front of the barge, which doesn`t have the same safety railings as the sides.

When she went missing, first responders rushed in rescue mode using sonar, a search helicopter and rescue swimmers.  But after two unsuccessful hours of searching, the Missouri Water Patrol switched to recovery using divers.

The quick current and nearby flooding could make finding the woman could a challenge. St. Charles County Fire Captain Dan Casey says they`re trying to use the flood debris floating down the river to their advantage.

"We've had some things go by and we`re trying to estimate where the current might have taken her, maybe to a bank or something like that." said Capt. Dan Casey of the St. Charles Co. Fire Department.

For several hours on Friday, the two Golden Eagle ferries were shut down because of the rescue and recovery efforts. Still, no word as to why the woman was taking the ferry in the first place..

The ferry runs between St. Charles County in Missouri and Calhoun County in Illinois.